


Halloween Party

by Jain



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, POV Third Person, Party, Past Tense, Pre-Season/Series 01, Trick or Treat Exchange, Trick or Treat: Treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-02 14:07:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21162890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jain/pseuds/Jain
Summary: Jon receives an unwelcome invitation.





	Halloween Party

**Author's Note:**

  * For [labocat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/labocat/gifts).

> You're invited to the Magnus Institute's First Annual Halloween Party!
> 
> Costumes welcome, or just come as you are.
> 
> 7 p.m. on Friday, 25th October  
Conference Room B
> 
> Please RSVP so we know general numbers for drinks and snacks.
> 
> Cheers,  
Martin and Tim

Jon skimmed the email once and clicked delete, as he should have done the moment he read the subject line. Or possibly the moment before that, when he noticed that the new email in his inbox was from Martin.

"You didn't RSVP," Tim said from far too close, and Jon suppressed a start. Why the research department had chosen to arrange its desks so everyone's computers were visible to half the room, he had no idea, but he didn't like it.

"I've no interest in Halloween parties," he said. "No offense."

"Shocking, considering you also have no interest in after work drinks. Or Sasha's 25th birthday do. Or anything that requires you to acknowledge your coworkers' presence outside of the nine-to-five working day."

"I went to the Christmas party," Jon protested. Not that Tim could be expected to know that, since he hadn't started working at the Institute until May, but it was nonetheless a solid point in Jon's favour.

"Christmas was nearly ten months ago," Tim said.

"Exactly. Which strongly suggests that there'll be another Christmas party in a couple of months, which I will _also_ attend. There's no reason I need to go to a Halloween party, as well."

"Oh, come on," Tim said, though he was smiling as he said it. "We work at the Magnus Institute. The supernatural is our entire remit. A Halloween party is practically compulsory."

"So compulsory that this is the very first one of its kind," Jon said dryly.

"You don't know that. There could've been Halloween parties held here throughout the entire nineteenth century. Maybe they stopped during the First World War and never restarted...until now!" He did jazz hands at the end, which Jon pointedly ignored.

"Why do you care so much if I attend, anyway?" he asked.

"Because we've worked together for half a year now and I've never actually talked to you outside of work? Because it'll be fun and you could use some more fun in your life? Because on the extremely off-chance that it isn't fun and nobody bothers to come, I don't want me and Martin to be the only saddos from the Institute who show up? Pick any or all of the above."

Jon didn't see what Tim's first argument had to do with anything, and the second depended upon a very individualistic definition of fun. For his part, Jon was certain that a Halloween party with his coworkers would not qualify. The third argument, however, was...not entirely unreasonable.

"Can you at least promise me that there won't be anything too ridiculous at the party?"

"Ridiculous like how?"

"Oh, I don't know. All of the food dyed black; or live rats and spiders as part of the decorating scheme--in cages, one would hope; or an attempt to hold a seance."

Tim sputtered out a laugh. "What sorts of Halloween parties have you been attending?!"

"I wouldn't ordinarily expect anything of the sort," Jon said, in lieu of saying, _None, ever_, "but if Martin's involved in planning this, then I'm not ruling it out. He's very...enthusiastic, particularly about holidays."

Martin had worn an actual Christmas jumper to last year's work party. Admittedly, it hadn't been the worst of its kind: its Fair Isle pattern had featured reindeer _and_ snowflakes _and_ Christmas trees, but all of them had been relatively tastefully done in white yarn against a dark blue background. Still, he was the only person from the entire Institute to have the bad taste and utter lack of self-consciousness to wear one. And that was simply as an attendee rather than the event's organiser. Who knew what absurdities he might commit when he was in charge?

"I promise you," Tim said solemnly. "There will be no live animals or attempts to contact ghosts at the Magnus Institute Halloween party."

"Fine. In that case, I suppose I can come be a saddo with you."

Tim's face lit up in a charming smile, and Jon retrieved the invite from his email program's bin and replied to it quickly, before he could talk himself out of it. He'd be miserably bored and uncomfortable, no doubt, but it wouldn't hurt to make his colleagues happy.

* * *

"Jon! You came!" Martin said, with twice as much enthusiasm as was necessary or desirable. Defying all expectation, he wasn't wearing a costume, though he _was_ dressed in a black shirt and trousers.

"I did RSVP," Jon pointed out, feeling oddly defensive.

"No, I know. It's just...welcome to the party!"

"Mmm," Jon said. He looked around the room. Martin's greeting might've led one to believe that the party was in fact just Martin and Tim rattling embarrassedly about in an empty conference room, when instead what looked like a respectable portion of the Institute had chosen to attend. Only a bare handful of them were in costume, but they all seemed to be having a good time.

There was also an overabundance of fake cobwebs draped about the room, and jack o'lanterns on the tables, and a realistic-looking skeleton in one corner that Jon sincerely hoped hadn't come from Artifact Storage. Surely even Martin couldn't be _that_ stupid, however. There was an impressive array of bottles on a table at the far wall, and conveniently near to it were stood Tim and Heather and Sasha, laughing and chatting together.

"I'm going to get myself a drink," he said decisively. He'd get a glass of wine and attach himself to Tim's little group, and after an hour or so he could make his excuses and leave. Surely that would be enough to satisfy Tim.

"Oh, yeah, of course," Martin said. He turned to point at the left-hand side of the drinks table. "Elias contributed the bottles over there. I don't know much about wine, but I'd bet they're a lot better than what Tim and I picked up."

It was a surprisingly thoughtful comment, in both senses of the word, and Jon found himself smiling slightly. "I appreciate the insider tip," he said. He cast another glance about the room--eyes skipping over the cobwebs and giving the skeleton another suspicious look--and almost wasn't lying at all when he added, "It looks like a good party. Thanks for doing this."


End file.
